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Monthly Archives: August 2015

I was working with my friend Deb recently trying to reproduce some Flora Bowley intuitive art. I was given some Magic ink for my birthday ( acrylic ink) and I had been wondering how to use them. Flora Bowley produces large colourful semi abstract pieces you can see her work at http://braveintuitiveyou.com/blog/

We started small building up layers, using acrylic paint and ink. I love the first 3 or 4 layers but find it hard to see shapes to work to develop the work further.

I bought Flora’s art journal ‘ Brave Intuitive Painting: A Journal For Living Creatively’ – which is a collection of finished art work – examples of motifs and pages with prompts for you to work on. I thought it might help me see more shapes in my work

Below is a step by step and my initial piece with some shapes drawn into it

I am loving the technique and have produced lots of versions – but I am still struggling to see shapes . I made a version with another friend – and she managed to see a tree. However I over worked it and ended up doodling on it- I am not sure if it is finished yet.

This is the example with the tree

Bringing out the shapes using pale acrylic Overworked and resorting to doodling

I suppose the idea is to take the process and make it your own – I will keep going because I am learning so much.

I grew up enjoying reading comics and always appreciated the format – how the page could be divided to create the impression of action , the cropping of images and speech bubbles

Recently at the Mancheter Metrapolitan University Summer Insitiute of Qualatititve inquiry (http://www.esri.mmu.ac.uk/siqr/) I saw a seminar by Linda Knight who was researching how the graphic novel could be used as a research method ( more info can be found on her blog Lindaknight1965.wordpress.com)

I have tried a couple of times before to do a comic strip , but wasn’t happy with the techniques I was using (Doing art everyday for 2 years has its plus points). I had a stinking migraine the other week and felt inspired to do some image making based around this experience and my irritable bowel – the two are linked in my head

Number 1 is Irritable bowel
I have tried to inject an element of humour. I struggle with cartoon figures so I have borrowed heavily from Picasso – I am not really sure my IBS ought to be talked about on the same page as Guernica but I do like those figures writhing around in the stomach

Number 2 Hemiplegic Migraines

I am well at the moment , my really bad migraines seem to be under control with drugs and not teaching at school. This is technique and way of working is fun . I am going to have to play some more

I have been developing collage techniques over the summer. They have morphed into layers of strips of magazine pages/ words and images. I began working like this because I didn’t have any acrylic paint with me on holiday . I am enjoying the way the layers disrupt the surface and meaning of what you look at. I have been experimenting with adding texture with doodles, mono printing and book pages

Since returning from holiday – I have developed the technique further adding Strips at different angles and creating images that almost recreate my migraine aura – this last bit occoured accidentally I have also tried working on a larger scale. I am pleased with the image below – it reminds me of my window onto the street – the Edwardian window frames – the railings and houses beyond all dissecting the view and the light – this is 2.5’x3.5′

I also tried an even bigger canvas 40″x50″ it’s funny this one was fine when it was lying flat – but I haven’t put the strips on straight and my varifocal lens seem to be playing tricks on me – I can’t look at the canvas with out getting irritated so I am storing it on its side. I have included some process photos below

I have brought the stripes into mixed media work too- here is a piece I just finished whilst working with Debbie Howard in Oxfordshire